As Marana gets ready to find a permanent police chef, the
interim leader has not ruled out the possibility that he is the
right man for both jobs.

“I’ve learned … in my many years that you never say never,” said
Terry Tometich. “Right now I plan on applying.”

The town council is expected to appoint Tometich as the acting
chief, making his first day on the job May 1, said town
spokesperson Rodney Campbell.

He will fill in for current chief Richard Vidaurri, who
announced his retirement earlier this month.

“There’s been several negative things written,” Tometich said.
“I always accentuate the positive and the positive is that the
survey that was done shows that the citizens of Marana believe in
their police department and have a lot of confidence in what they
do.”

Tometich and his wife moved to Marana about a year and a half
ago and own two businesses in Dove Mountain: Fitness Together and
Elements Therapeutic Massage.

He previously served as the Southern Arizona Region Bureau Chief
for the Arizona Department of Public Safety before retiring in 2005
after 32 years.

The interim chief anticipates things to be not too different
between his old job and serving in Marana. “There’s a lot of
similarities when you’re in law enforcement because you’re out
there providing public safety the best way you can,” he said.

Tometich said one of the first things he’ll do is listen to the
concerns within the department.

“I told them at the time, ‘I’m not the person that will be a
caretaker,’” Tometich said. “I will go in and listen, observe and
be the police chief as long as they want me to be.”

When Tometich takes over the department, he will do so without
assistant chief Barbara Harris, who has been on paid administrative
leave since March.